The Drummers - (A Josie Gray Mystery) by Tricia Fields (Hardcover)

About the Book

A community known as The Drummers move into an abandoned church in Artemis, Texas. They claim to want to live peacefully "off grid" but when local power substations are sabotaged they are the prime suspects. When Police Chief Josie Gray tries to enter the church bullets fly and she is accused by the leader of the group of killing a young girl.

Book Synopsis

Police Chief Josie Gray's life is complicated when sparks and bullets begin to fly after her small town in Texas is overrun by a community wishing to live "off grid."

The residents of the small town of Artemis are suspicious when a community called The Drummers moves into a local abandoned church. Their leader, Gideon, claims their aim is simple: to live peacefully off the grid without government interference. But when local power substations are sabotaged and the whole of West Texas loses electricity, all fingers point to them.

Forced to intervene, Police Chief Josie Gray and her team try to enter the church only for gunshots to be exchanged. Inside the church one young girl is killed, with Gideon claiming Josie's stray bullet hit her.

Was Josie responsible? Did one of The Drummers murder the girl and use Josie as a patsy? Were The Drummers responsible for the power outage? As Josie identifies an ever-widening pool of suspects, she learns of a shocking connection reaching far beyond West Texas.

From the Back Cover

"Fields's Tony Hillerman Prize-winning mysteries capture the raw natural beauty of West Texas" Library Journal on Midnight Crossing "A brisk narrative, a vivid sense of place, and an appealing protagonist make this another fine entry in this winning series" Booklist on Firebreak "Emotionally taut, building to a breathtaking climax" Booklist Starred Review of Wrecked

Review Quotes

'Readers might think they're in the small-town world of Bill Crider, or maybe Terry Shames'-- "Booklist"

A brisk narrative, a vivid sense of place, and an appealing protagonist make this another fine entry in this winning series-- "Booklist on Firebreak"

A terrific heroine, scoring big for women in law enforcement-- "Publishers Weekly on Midnight Crossing"

Emotionally taut, building to a breathtaking climax-- "Booklist Starred Review of Wrecked"

Fields's Tony Hillerman Prize-winning mysteries capture the raw natural beauty of West Texas-- "Library Journal on Midnight Crossing"

The inventive, deepening twists make this comeback read like a superior episode of Law & Order: West Texas-- "Kirkus Reviews"

'The riveting mystery is an intense, ripped-from-the-headlines story for anyone looking for a compelling tale of homegrown terrorists with grandiose schemes' - Library Journal Starred Review

'Fields lays out a plausible route for cult indoctrination of those who think - or at one time thought - of themselves as good people. This convincing look at homegrown terrorism will resonate with many readers. - Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Born in Hawaii but spending most of her life in Indiana, Tricia Fields now lives with her family in a log cabin on a small farm. Fields won the Tony Hillerman Prize for her first novel in the Josie Gray mystery series, The Territory, which was also named a Sun-Sentinel Best Mystery Debut of the Year. www.triciafields.com